Miscellaneous Items - 7/8/09

Illahee Forester.  Illahee is fortunate to have a recognized forester, Jim Trainer, in the community.  Jim often gives wildlife presentations and also tours of area forests, including the Illahee Preserve and the area along Illahee Creek.  We are a little late in reporting on a recent tour Jim gave to the GPC last month. 

 

On June 13 Jim Trainer conducted a hike for the Great Peninsula Conservancy to see the 800 year old culturally modified Western Red Cedar in Illahee.  There were about 25 people and it was reported to be quite a hike. 

 

Hooting Owls.  Last evening there were some owls who were especially noisy along Sunset next to the Illahee Preserve.  There appeared to be about 4 owls having a hooting contest.  We think they were Barred Owls and wish we had a recorder to document their sounds. In the past we have had nearby residents tell of hearing the owls at night and last evening we heard them for ourselves.  It was quite an experience.

 

Garden Tour Interest.  We have had 5 people express interest in working on an Illahee garden tour so we will try to get them connected to see what they will come up with.  Let us know if you know of anyone else who might be interested, or any garden areas you would recommend they consider.

 

Timbers Edge Appeal & Possible Counter Proposal.  We understand an ad hoc committee of the Illahee Community Club is working on a draft counter proposal to be presented to the Illahee community for final concurrence, and then when/if approved, to the developer.  We will try to stay on top of this as we know that many are concerned on what will happen to the community if the project were to go ahead as planned.

 

Rainfall in Illahee.  Since May 20th the rainfall in Illahee is only 0.22 inches which has come in some pretty small amounts, see the attached for the exact amounts which begin on June 19th and end on June 27th. 

 

0.01
0.08
0.07
0.02
0.02
0.02

 

Jim Aho

Miscellaneous Items - 7/7/09

Illahee Day.  Save Saturday, August 1 for Illahee Day 2009.  The theme is theABC's of Illahee.  A for an Attractive Illahee, B for Breakfast and lunch at the community dock, and C for Community clean-up in-between breakfast and lunch.  Breakfast at the dock between 9-10 am.  Community clean-up between 10am -12 pm.  Lunch at 12 pm.

 

5 Clean Up Teams.  You can pick the clean-up team you would like to be on. The five of them are:  Team Dock, Team Illahee Road North, Team Illahee Road South, Team Ocean View & West, and Team Illahee Preserve.  The attached brochure provides the details.

 

Volunteer Receive .....  All volunteers will receive Illahee T-Shirts, and there will be drawings and prizes.  Sign up by sending an email or leave a message with your name and shirt size at docdmsret@msn.com or call 340-7257.

 

Aquifer Meeting.  We have been asked when we are going to report of the aquifer meeting that was held on June 30th.  On some of these meetings we wait to see if there is going to be any press coverage, since they do such a good job.  Because there was no coverage we will provide a brief synopsis.  The room was filled and the information was extremely informative.  We received many compliments for hosting the event.  During the question and answer time there was some disagreements as to the extent and influence of some of the deep aquifers.  The consensus is that the USGS needs to do some definitive studies of the area to define the aquifers.  What was not in dispute was the need to infiltrate our rainwater runoff and to do so as close to the source as possible, thereby mimicking natural conditions.  We will provide more information later on the subject.

 

BKAT Coverage & Viewing Dates.  The aquifer meeting was documented by Bremerton Kitsap Access Television (BKAT) and will be broadcast four times.  The dates are:

 

“The Illahee Watershed Aquifer Protection Plan” will air:
7/20      11am
7/22      10:30pm
7/24      3pm
7/30      10am

BKAT is Kitsap's local TV channel. 
Channel 12 - Comcast
Channel 3 - WAVE

 

Thanks to Dr. Massmann, Dave Tucker, & Shawn Ultican.  We want to thank Dr. Massmann for his presentation and helping us better understand groundwater as an important resource that needs to be understood and managed.  We also thank Dave Tucker from Kitsap County Public Works for being there to answer questions, along with Shawn Ultican, from the Kitsap Healthe District who also fielded questions.

 

Brown Tap Water.  Every now and then Illahee residents experience a brown coloring in their drinking water.  We have had several instances where people have forwarded their questions to us, and we have asked them to call North Perry Water.  Attached is George Smalley's recent response to a resident in the area south of Illahee State Park.

 

Just thought you should know that it is not a harmless bacteria in the water that causes a brown color when water is taken from a fire hydrant at a high rate of speed. It is typically sediment build up, or a concentration of a harmless mineral called manganese. The District does work hard to provide clean water to its customers by  flushing the water mains on an annual basis to try to keep the build up of these minerals and sediments down.The water is safe to drink however it is not to appealing to look at. The problem was caused by a brush fire on E.30th and Parklane Sunday morning 7/5/09.The fire dept. had to hook to a hydrant and flow water. We are sorry for the inconvenience however these things happen and they are beyond our control.The District did flush the area for most of the day on Monday the 6th.
Please call the District office if you are still experiencing discolored water.

360.373.9508

Thank you,

George Smalley
NPW GM

 

Cat Chasing Deer.  During a walk on Monday morning a resident reported watching a large deer walking on the roadway past a house when a black cat took off after the deer, chasing it down the road and into the Illahee Preserve.

 

Mediation Clarification.  In our last Illahee Community Update we linked the Kitsap Sun article that discussed the County's new mediation process and made some comments.  Scott Diener, Manager of Policy and Planning for DCD, sent us the following  info and link:

 

The article title is misleading.  The approvals made by the BCC only allow the Hearing Examiner to authorize mediation (as well as reconsideration).  The actual process language (when mediation is optional and when it is required) is going to the Planning Commission on July 7 for its initial work study (after being remanded back to them by the BCC in Dec 08).

To follow the mediation language development beginning with the Planning Commission process, go to http://www.kitsapgov.com/dcd/pc/default.htm

 

Where Did the Canada Geese Go?  Some of the residents with waterfront yards report they haven't seen the Canada geese since the 4th of July and wonder if they just moved elsewhere in Illahee, or if they left the area because of the fireworks.

 

Humming Bird Photos.  There are lots of humming birds in the area, and we were surprised to find them in the Illahee Preserve the other day when collecting water quality samples for the health department.  Katrina Knutson, the Kitsap County Planner who helped prepare the Illahee Community Plan sent us the following link to some amazing hummingbird photos.

 

BIRTH OF A HUMMINGBIRD                                              
This is truly amazing.                                            
                                                                     
Be sure to click on 'NEXT PAGE' at  the bottom of each page; there  
are 5 pages in all.                                                 
                                                                                                                                        
A lady found a hummingbird nest and got pictures all the way        
   from the egg to leaving the nest.  Took 24 days from birth to     
   flight.  Because you'll probably never see this again in          
   your lifetime, enjoy and share.  The very last picture is         
   amazing.                                                                                                                                
CLICK THIS ADDRESS....                                                                                                                   
   http://community.webtv.net/Velpics/HUM                

 

Timbers Edge Appeal.  We have heard the community's appeal of the Hearing Examiner's Decision to approve the Timbers Edge Development, may soon go before the County Commissioners.  There is a group that is working on a counter proposal to be given to the developer to see if there can be an acceptable resolution of differences.  The group needs to complete their work soon if they plan on getting it done before the appeal is heard by the commissioners.

 

Dry Conditions In Illahee.  It has been some time since any appreciable rain has fallen in Illahee.  There is an official or semi-official rain gage in Illahee where rainfall is measured.  That is about all we know and hope that we can find out more, maybe even some photos of it, along with any current reports.

 

Jim Aho

Corrected Link To Mediation Article - 6/30/09

Wrong Link to Mediation Article.  We provided the wrong link to the Kitsap Sun article regarding mediation.  Our website person quickly caught the mistake.  We are sorry for the error.  The corrected link is provided below:

 

Illahee Mentioned in Mediation Article.  The Kitsap County Commissioner's have added a mediation step to their land use process and said it was because of the Illahee Community's outfall fight (which was to keep the 42" diameter stormwater pipe from being installed under the Illahee Community Dock).  While the community came to an agreement with the developer, the primary problem was with Kitsap County for allowing the outfall in the first place.  We hope the mediation process also includes the Kitsap County employees, who in spite of being paid by the citizens, do not always act in their best interests of local communities.  The corrected link to the article is:    http://kitsapsun.com/news/2009/jun/24/kitsap-commissioners-ok-new-land-use-mediation/

Miscellaneous Items - 6/30/09

Aquifer Meeting Tonight (6/30). This is a reminder of the Aquifer meeting tonight (6/30) a 6:30 pm at the Norm Dicks Center.

Questions Already. We have some residents who have to work evenings or have other meetings and cannot attend the aquifer meeting. We took some their questions early which include these:

1. We have a development that wants to put in high density homes with sewers along the Illahee Creek corridor. The adjoining residents would like to see lower density homes with septics. Should we be concerned about nitrates from the septics getting into the aquifers?
2. Over the years there have been conflicting reports of where our ground water is coming from. Some of us remember hearing it was coming from the Olympic Mountains. Now it is said to come locally as our rain water infiltrates down through the soil and into the aquifers. Does anyone really know where our water comes from? And, how can we be sure the latest information is correct?
3. If groundwater and aquifers are so important, how come we haven’t heard much about them from our government officials? Who is in charge of managing the groundwater and aquifers?
4. I’m concerned about the low flows in Illahee Creek. Who is supposed to be watching out for our streams? The state, the county, the federal government? Does anyone really care? The only group we ever hear about caring is the tribes because of salmon. Should we be talking with them?
5. Do things like rain gardens and infiltration pits actually work? And what happens when we get a major downpour like what happened on December 3rd of 2007 and the rain gardens and infiltration pits can’t absorb all the water?
6. If the stormwater contaminates that are polluting Puget Sound are infiltrated into the ground, won’t they eventually pollute our groundwater?
7. I live some distance away from Illahee Creek, about a mile, and want to know if my infiltrating of my roof rain water will help?
8. What about people who have zinc strips on their roofs, or copper impregnated shingles, to keep the moss off? Won’t those metals harm the groundwater? And, what about pesticides and other lawn chemicals?

Canada Geese Eating Up the Blueberries. While we like our wildlife we have reports the Canada geese have developed a taste for green and ripening blueberries. They have already devoured the berries on some of the small bushes and are working on the big bushes. Time to put the nets up.

Another Deer Solution. Thank you to all who provided your remedies to keep deer out of garden areas. Here is the latest:

Just thought I'd throw my two cents in on the subject of critters in the garden .... so here's a couple more suggestions ....not only does human hair work, but dog hair works great too, put it in old nylons and hang it around your garden area, chicken house,etc..... and it will keep those critters at bay, I have a friend who lives on a farm in Hungary and this is how she keeps the foxes out of her hen house....and deer out of her garden.

Fly solutions, For those of you who have trouble with those little flies that come in when you leave your door open and just circle around in the air this is an "old wives tale" that works....put water in a plastic baggie and hang it above your doorway or let it hang on little rope and you will never have one of those pesky little flies in you house....

Community Garden Tour Response. Just a few responders to the idea of having an Illahee gardens tour. We will see what that group wants to do and report back. Let us know if you would like to be part of the group.

New Format. We were asked to eliminate the underlining in our Updates as it makes it more difficult to transfer them to the illaheecommunity.com web page.

Eagle Attacking Ornamental Chicken Article. When we posted the "eagle attacking ornamental chicken" item in a previous update, we didn't have a picture of the chicken. The next day the Kitsap Sun did a front page report, complete with a picture. The chicken looked very real so we now understand how this happened. Click on the following for the picture and article. http://kitsapsun.com/news/2009/jun/23/eagle-eyed-misguided-bird-leaves-illahee-empty/

Illahee Mentioned in Mediation Article. The Kitsap County Commissioner's have added a mediation step to their land use process and said it was because of the Illahee Community's outfall fight (which was to keep the 42" diameter stormwater pipe from being installed under the Illahee Community Dock). While the community came to an agreement with the developer, the primary problem was with Kitsap County for allowing the outfall in the first place. We hope the mediation process also includes the Kitsap County employees, who in spite of being paid by the citizens, do not always act in their best interests of local communities. The link to the article is: http://kitsapsun.com/news/2009/jun/24/kitsap-commissioners-ok-new-land-use-mediation/

Illahee Referenced in Rob Woutat Article. There was a recent article by Rob Woutat in the Kitsap Sun where he mentioned what it was like living in the Illahee community. Unfortunately, the Kitsap Sun has not made that article available on its website. When it shows up, we will provide a link to it.

Jim Aho

Why Attend Tuesday's Meeting? - 6/28/09

Interest in Tuesday's Meeting. There have been questions about, and interest shown, concerning Tuesday's meeting at the Norm Dick's Center (a presentation by hydrologist Dr. Joel Massmann beginning at 6:30 pm on 6/30/09). Some very busy people wanted more information and have asked us some blunt questions about attending.

Why should I attend Tuesday’s meeting? We were asked the following question “Can you give me a good reason why I should take the time to attend Tuesday’s aquifer meeting?” When we started to respond with a detailed explanation we were asked for the short version. Our responses are therefore a short version and a longer more detailed version.

THE SHORT VERSION. The aquifers that supply our drinking water and the water to Illahee Creek may be over allocated. According to the numbers, If everyone used their water right allocations our aquifer levels and the low flow in Illahee Creek would steadily decrease. We need to understand what is happening and what we can do to help make sure critical water resources are sustained into the future.

THE LONG VERSION. Rainfall A Problem? Water is a key ingredient to life and in Illahee all our water comes from aquifers that are recharged by local rains. At one time experts thought our water came from the Olympic Mountain area and only relatively recently discovered that it is the infiltration of our own rainfall into our aquifers that supplies our drinking water. When we thought there was an over abundance of water, we and the county treated our rainwater (stormwater) as a problem rather than a resource. The state and county developed regulations to dump our rainwater (stormwater) from our roofs, driveways and roads through drains and pipes into nearby creeks and into Puget Sound, with little thought of infiltrating it back into the ground.

Aquifer Issues Not Getting Attention. While things are beginning to change with a new emphasis on controlling stormwater and Low Impact Development (LID) applications (primarily because the stormwater is polluting Puget Sound), the importance of infiltration to replenish our aquifers hasn’t gotten the commensurate attention by the public or the press.

Illahee Studies Conducted. What got the attention of many Illahee folks on this subject, was a concern of the low flows (or baseflows) in Illahee Creek, along with high flows (storm surges), both of which are damaging to fish in the stream. Years ago the Port of Illahee was concerned enough to begin discussions with Kitsap County on how to control the surges that sent brown silt laden sediment flows for miles into Puget Sound, which led to the Port applying for grants to study the problem. When a new development planned to install large concrete detention vaults on the steep and unstable slopes of Illahee Creek, the Port and the Community hired experts to study the impacts to the creek (which eventually resulted in a change to some of their plans).

Aquifer Importance Identified. Those studies documented that Illahee Creek was entirely fed by shallow aquifers during non-precipitation periods and concluded that high density development in the area will decrease the baseflows in Illahee Creek. We learned the area is designated as a critical aquifer recharge area by Kitsap County. The studies were also instrumental in the area being down-zoned in 2006.

Why Attend - Replenishment Rate Unsustainable? So why attend? According to the Illahee Creek Aquifer Protection Plan (part of the recent Parametrix “Illahee Creek Watershed Surface Water Management Plan") as we read it, the water rights exceed the replenishment rate for the Manette Peninsula and within the Illahee Creek watershed. In other words, if each holder of water rights fully utilized those rights, the aquifers and creek levels could not be sustained.

Why Attend - Illahee Creek Aquifer Not Being Replenished? Secondly, those residents watching and monitoring Illahee Creek are alarmed at the current low flows and wonder if there are areas around the creek where the aquifer is not being replenished. They are concerned that this lack of replenishment could spell the end of Illahee Creek as a fish bearing stream. In this day and age we should not be destroying a stream’s ability to support fish.

Why Attend - To Understand and Act? Finally, we need to understand what is happening with our drinking water and stream flows, and what we can do to help make sure our critical water resources are sustainable.

Answers on Tuesday. Dr. Massmann should be able to explain our situation and give us some answers.

Other Responses Later. We have received other responses regarding this meeting and will publish them later.

Jim Aho

Important Aquifer Meeting & Rain Garden Report - 6/24/09

Important Illahee/Aquifer Meeting on Tuesday, June 30th.  Hydrologist and ground water consultant, Dr. Joel Massmann, will be presenting a briefing on GROUNDWATER, AQUIFERS & INFILTRATION REQUIREMENTS - A Briefing of the Manette Peninsula Aquifer and the Illahee Watershed aquifer Protection Plan from 6:30 - 8 pm at the Norm Dicks Center on Tuesday, June 30, 2009.

 

Who is Dr. Massmann?  When the Illahee Community was concerned about the low flow in Illahee Creek a number of years ago they went looking for the best independent hydrologist they could find and hired Dr. Massmann to conduct that study.  He is a groundwater consultant with over 25 years experience. He is the founder of Keta Waters and was previously a faculty member in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Washington.

Also Part of the DOE Grant Team Studying the Illahee Watershed.  Dr. Massmann was also a member of team Parametrix assembled to develop the Illahee Creek Watershed Surface Water Management Plan for the Port of Illahee and as part of a Department of Ecology grant.  Dr. Massmann wrote the Aquifer Protection Plan for the final report which he will likely be including as part of his presentation.

Presentation Items.   Dr. Massmann will discuss the underlying aquifers and groundwater recharge on the Manette Peninsula and within the Illahee Creek watershed.  The presentation will address questions regarding how much fresh water is in these aquifers, where does this fresh water come from,  and where does it go.  These questions will be described in the context of relationships between groundwater for municipal supply and groundwater to support stream flow and wetlands. 

Questions & Answer Session.  There will be an opportunity to ask questions of Dr. Massmann.  Additionally, Dave Tucker, from the Kitsap County Publlic Works Department is planning on attending and will also be available to answer questions.

Why Attend?  The Manette Peninsula aquifer is the primary source of the stream flows in Illahee Creek. Illahee Creek is fed entirely by the aquifer when there is no rain and already has low baseflows during these non-rainy periods.  It is those low baseflows that jeopardize the ability of the stream to support salmon, not to mention that the creek is also affected by the stormwater surges that produce the storm surges that tend to flush out the salmon.  Some feel the stream is already approaching marginal baseflows and it will be unable to withstand the added pressures of developments like Timbers Edge.  That is why the Illahee Community Club has appealed the Hearing Examiner's decision to approve the Timbers Edge development.  This is an opportunity to get some answers from a recognized expert who is familiar with the aquifers and the Illahee Watershed area.

Infiltration Needed.  One of the messages we think we will hear from Dr. Massmann is the need to infiltrate the rains we receive, rather than trying to pipe the water to Illahee Creek or Puget Sound.  We have heard that infiltration should be as close as possible to surfaces like roofs, driveways, and roadways, and thus the emphasis on bioretention features like raingardens, bioswales, infiltration pits, pervious surfaces, and the like.

Rain Garden Class.  We had an Illahee resident who attended a Sea Grant and Kitsap County rain garden class this past Saturday and thought this might be a good class of the Illahee community, since our soils are generally very permeable (note that there were a number a gravel pits in the area in the recent past) and we need to replenish the aquifer that supplies Illahee Creek.  We will provide more information on this in a following update.

Questions?  The meeting is on Tuesday at the Norm Dicks Center on 6th Street in downtown Bremerton.  Evening parking is readily available.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 479-1049,

Jim Aho

Wildlife Items - 6/23/09

Eagle Goes After Ornamental Chicken.  There are several farms in Illahee and this one is unique in many ways, including how they have learned to live with the wildlife. 

 

..............we've been having some Eagle problems.  However they were here before us so they might have been E-mailing (that's Eagle-mail) to each other about humans getting in the way of their way of life over the years!  They probably also E-mail that Honeyhill Farm is easy pickins.

We are fairly certain that an eagle got our male Guinea rooster in the pasture 3 days ago...........only tons of feathers left, and coyotes can't get into the pasture because of the hot fence we have around the bottom of the fencing.

The day after that I heard some banging noises on the front porch.........and ran to look.  There was an eagle trying to steal a fake rooster that I use for decoration.  It is a realistic, life size plastic/fake with chicken feathers glued all over it.  There were several crows dive bombing the eagle.  I chased it off and put the fake rooster back on her "perch."  Now they'll probably E-mail that some of Honeyhill's chickens are really tough!!

At this point I'm worried about our mini dachshund and my cats.  We still have 4 chickens left but I'm sure they are plenty tender.   I guess that's the price we pay for living in their territory.

 

Illahee Eagle With Fish.  We were talking with an Illahee waterfront resident who said she snapped of photo just after an eagle had gotten a fish from the bay.  She gave us permission to send out her photo, which is attached.

 

Sunflower Sea Star.  Sea stars, or star fish, can come in many different species and colors.  We found a number of small sunflower sea stars at Schutt's Point on Monday including the bright orange one in the photo.  Some interesting facts about sunflower sea stars: it is the largest and fastest sea star in Puget Sound, it can grow to 3 feet in diameter and can mover over 3 feet per minute.  It eats nearly everything, including clams, crabs, snails, sea cucumbers, urchins, and other sea stars.  They have an interesting water-vascular system, or hydraulic system, that allows them to move by moving water in and out of small tube feet in each of their arms.

 

Low Tides & Clam Digging Success.  We also came across a father and son digging for geoducks and they had mistakenly dug a horse clam.  We asked if we could lay the horse clam next to a goeduck so we could take a picture to show the difference between the two big clams.  The horse clam is on the left and the geoduck is on the right.

 

Midshipman Fish.  Last year we gave a report on midshipman fish and decided to check under a rock to see if there would be a midshipman fish and some eggs.  We found two fish under the rock along with some eggs.  The male midshipman fish digs out the hole under the rock and then emits a croaking noise to entice female fish to come in and lay her eggs, which are deposited on the underside of the rock.  Sometimes there will be many eggs of different colors under a rock, indicating the male has been successful in attracting several females.  The second photo gives a better picture of what these fish look like.  They are nocturnal so they aren't likely to be caught by those fishing during the day.

 

Jim Aho

Miscellaneous Items - 6/19/09

Aquifer Briefing Scheduled.  We just saw a draft of a press release be prepared for a briefing at the Norm Dicks Center on June 30th from 6:30-8 pm.  The tentative title of the briefing is:

OUR UNDERLYING AQUIFERS

A Briefing of the Manette Peninsula Aquifer and the Illahee Watershed Aquifer Protection Plan by Dr. Joel Massmann

Rain Gardens.  We think the briefing will talk about the importance of infiltrating our groundwater back into the aquifers by things like rain gardens.  The county has been holding rain garden seminars this month at various nurseries and we hope to get a report from someone who is supposed to attend one on Saturday afternoon at the Clear Creek Nursery.

Illahee Preserve Rain Garden.  We attended the Illahee Preserve Stewardship meeting on Tuesday where they discussed the rain garden at the center of the new parking lot.  A summary of what they are planning on doing is noted below.

We missed our window of opportunity for getting the rain garden installed, which is turning out to be okay with our current dry spell.  We are looking at using the fall for our planting time and want to have it be an education event for the community.  We want to involve Parks and Public Works, along with Sea Grant as they are all involved in promoting water quality through items like rain gardens.  We have talked generally with all them regarding water quality issues in Illahee and will be talking with them specifically regarding this educational opportunity. 

Blue House Numbers.  Many have noticed the blue house numbers that are appearing more frequently in the county.  We had the following email sent in that provides more information:

I found a great service CK Fire District is offering to homeowners.  They will furnish blue background with white numbers address signs.  (Might have seen them along Illahee Rd.)

All you need to do is Call the Fire District (447-3561)   There is no fee and all you need to do is pick them up at the CK Fire District office.

These are quite reflective and would help emergency vehicles find your home if necessary. 

Deer and Slug Suggestions.  Thank you for all who sent in slug suggestions.  Here are some of the responses:

I apologize in advance if you have already received a plethora of gardening advice, but I have had luck against deer in the garden and received some advice regarding slugs.
For the deer, I have heard they really don't like the smell of human hair. We had an abundance of deer footprints in our garden beds, and that night I went out and sprinkled hair cuttings I had saved from my kid's at-home hair cuts all around the perimeters of the beds. If you need some hair, I can save some for you.:) No problems since.
For cutting worms and slugs, my mom has tried a mixture of crushed egg shells and fireplace ash. We've had problems with the green beans and lettuce being eaten, so we might try this one as well. No reports on the success of this method yet.

Another way to get rid of varmints like raccoons and otters (I might have passed this back already, my apologies if a repeat) is to sprinkle urine around on a regular basis. This is a marking thing recognized by most mammals. Yeah I know it's gross, but it's also cheap and readily available. There are commercial repellents out there which are nothing more than lion urine. Has to be a carnivore and it doesn't take much. (Humans count as carnivores) for best results do twice a week. Don't laugh, Mowat Farley found it kept the wolves out of his campsite when he was doing his famous study over 30 years ago, in the Canadian tundra. Just walking a male dog around the property will do the trick too.

Slugs: best repellent I've found is fireplace ash, again spread very thin and loose in a perimeter around the area you wish to be left alone. They don't like ash on their soft bellies. Also cheap and easy to get. Do two or three times a week. Our squash is surviving this year due to my diligence in spreading ash!

Daytime Deer.  A number of residents have noticed deer roaming their neighborhoods during the daylight hours.  We had to stop this week for two deer on Illahee Road in the afternoon who didn't seem to want to leave the roadway.

Carpenter Ants in the House!  We had someone ask if anyone had recommendations about what to do when carpenter ants show up in your house.  We explained they probably need an exterminator and they asked if we could see if anyone has any recommendations.  Let us know and we will pass the information on.

Helicopter To Aid in Car Removal?  Inside the Illahee Preserve is an old rusted out late 50's Chevy.  The car is along side a trail the Rotarian's have worked on and they have been trying to figure out how to get it out.  We heard they are looking at a helicopter removal and are currently waiting for an okay from Kitsap County Park's personnel.  We also heard the Kitsap Sun and a Seattle TV station are interested in covering the event, it it gets the okay from Parks.

Status of Timbers Edge Counter Proposal.  We asked the status of the Timbers Edge Counter Proposal and received the following statement.

We have been asked to provide the status of community discussions regarding a possible counter proposal to the current Timbers Edge project.  The Illahee Community met on May 18, 2009 to determine if community consensus could be reached on a proposal.  After a varied and concerned exchange, it was decided was a special task group would take the discussions of the evening and work on a proposal to present at another community meeting.  The goal is to come up with a proposal most everyone in the community can support, along with the board members of the ICC.  The special task group has been corresponding via email and because of vacations is still working on a proposal.

Thank You!!  Thank you to all who passed on information or asked for updated information. 

Jim Aho

Miscellaneous Items - 6/10/09

Update Frequency.  The slower frequency of updates has brought some questions.  We have been trying to do some extra projects and gardening including trying to keep the deer at bay with fencing only to have trouble with slugs and cutworms eating our new starts.  We feel like parents trying to protect their young ones until they are old enough to be on their own.

 

Garden Tours?  We have had a number of people mention that it would be nice to have a tour of some of the Illahee area gardens.  They noticed the advertisements for the Bremerton Urban Garden Society (BUGS) edible gardening tour a couple of weeks ago and thought it would be good to try something of the sort for Illahee.  Let us know your thoughts on this and if there is enough interest we will try to get the interested parties together.  If you know of some interesting Illahee area gardens (flowers and or vegetable), let us know, and we will pass that on also.  .

 

Canada Goose Gathering.  Recently there was an early morning gathering of Canada geese along the beach that numbered 32.  There were 4 goose families, one with four fairly good sized goslings, and the others smaller in size and numbering 5, 4, and 1 goslings.  There were four mated pairs that had no offspring, and two that were without mates.  We were able to get a picture of three of the families, which is attached at the end of the email.

 

Other Wildlife.  The river otters have been active as have the ravens and the bald eagles. 

 

Illahee Preserve.  We went for a walk in the Illahee Preserve on Wednesday evening and were greeted with newly laid wood chip trails, courtesy of the East Bremerton Rotary.  They evidently had a bunch of chips that were delivered to the new parking lot today (Wednesday) and decided to put them on some of the new trails they had blazed from the new parking lot.  We were amazed at the amount of chips they put down in one evening.  We have also impressed by the number of people using the Preserve. 

 

Thanks to the Preserve Volunteers!  Thanks to the Rotarian's, the Illahee Preserve Stewardship Group, and the Illahee Forest Preserve (the non-profit support group for the Preserve) for all their trail work and support of this forest treasure.

 

Jim Aho

Miscellaneous Items - 5/27/09

Letters to the Editor re Homeless in the Illahee Preserve.  There was a recent letter to the editor in response to the Kitsap Sun article covered in our last Update.  The blog entries following the initial article weren't very thoughtful or helpful in our mind, but the responses to the letter to the editor were much more interesting and insightful.  See the attached link: http://kitsapsun.com/news/2009/may/20/homeless-camps-raising-the-ire-of-illahee-park/

Response to the Illahee State Park Email.  In our last Update we included the text of an email expressing concerns about housing the homeless in a mothballed Illahee State park.  We received comments on both sides, with many of them phone conversations.  Most of those who live near the park and use it often have not experienced problems.  We talked with Steve Ryder, one of the Park Rangers, who said in the four years he has been there that there have been very few incidents and that Illahee is a very quiet and peaceful park, specifically when compared with other parks he has worked in.  He gave as an example this past Memorial Day weekend when the park was full and there was only one havesting citation issued at the beach. We had one person write us that after their hip surgery they started walking through the Park, but stopped when they saw some suspected drug people, which was the only other negative response.  The consensus was that there will always probably be some incidents at any public facility, and that there needs to be some regulatory presence, which is what the email was getting at.  Thank you to all for letting us know your thoughts!

Illahee Bird Watching.  Attached is the results of a recent bird watching event, and an announcement of another one coming up.

On Saturday, May 23rd Idie Ulsh led a guided bird walk thru Illahee Forest Preserve.  A total of 31 different species of birds were identified by sight or sound.  Highlights included a "first time" identification of a Hammond's Flycatcher.  Numerous Western Tanagers were heard thru-out the forest, but not seen.  A Wilson's Warbler was sighted near the gate on Thompson Lane.

Illahee Preserve Birding Tour
Idie Ulsh will be leading a bird walk thru Illahee Forest Preserve on Saturday, June 13th.  The focus will be upon sounds of forest birds.  Idie Ulsh is a Master Birder and past president of Seattle Audubon.  Idie is remarkable with her abilities to bird by ear.  Meet in the new parking lot located on Almira Drive at Illahee Forest Preserve.  From the traffic light on Highway #303 at Lowe’s Hardware, take Fuson Road up-the-hill and follow the hard right hand turn onto Almira Drive.  The parking lot is just ahead on your left.  Space is limited to about 12, so advanced sign up is required.  Bring binoculars. Bird books optional.  Start time is 7AM.  Questions or sign-up?  Please contact Vic Ulsh at work (360) 479-6900 orvic@bradleyscottinc.com.

River Otters.  We have had two emails asking what to do about river otters.  One has 5 of them living under their house and the other wasn't specific.  We used to have three of them living near us, but we have some small dogs that get loose now and then and are small enough to go through the brush to their den, and so we think they moved, and probably ended up at these other residents.  It shouldn't be too long before the otters will have their young and will hopefully move on. 

Suggestion?  Those with the otters are asking for suggestions on how to deal with them, other than contacting the Department of Fish and Wildlife.  If you have any ideas, let us know and we will pass them on.

Status of Incubating Goose Eggs.  We had reported earlier of a disturbed Canada goose nest that still had two eggs in it.  We tried incubating the eggs for five days without success (see the attached photo).  We finally broke open the eggs to see if they had been fertilized and the found they had with nearly complete chicks inside that would probably have hatched if they hadn't been disturbed by probably a raccoon or possum. 

Jim Aho

Meeting Reports - 5/22/09

Tuesday's Illahee Preserve Meeting.  One of the nice things about having the Press at a meeting is they have a deadline and one doesn't have to wait long for their report.  Such was the case for the Illahee Preserve meeting on Tuesday (5-19-09).

 

Brynn Grimley Article.  We have been impressed with the Kitsap Sun reporters and especially Brynn Grimley who frequently covers Illahee items.  She did an excellent job of covering Tuesday's meeting - click on the following link for her story: 

http://kitsapsun.com/news/2009/may/20/homeless-camps-raising-the-ire-of-illahee-park/

 

Monday's Illahee Community Meeting.  One of the primary objectives of the Illahee Community meeting on Monday (5-18-09) was to see if the community could come up with a "counter proposal" to the Timbers Edge plans, that the Illahee Community could live with.  There proved to be too many different thoughts and ideas expressed by attendees for there to be any consensus, so it was decided some of the key representatives would try to pull together the various issues and come up with a draft for the larger group to go over at a later meeting. 

 

Other Actions.  The Community did vote to establish a fund raising team to look at various options in anticipation of significant legal costs in the future.  If anyone is interested in helping, let us know and we will pass your name on.  The group also voted to establish a committee to look at the possibility of becoming a Wildlife Habitat sanctuary similar to the city of Shoreline.

 

Illahee State Park Email Comments.  We received a number of responses, both verbal and written, regarding the email that we included in our last Update that expressed concern about the homeless using a mothballed Illahee State Park.  We will pass along some of those comments in a later Update.

 

Status of the Nesting Goose.  We finally have one gosling from the nesting goose family.  It appears the nest was discovered by something on Wednesday evening as early Wednesday morning there was one gosling with the mated adults, one warm egg still on the nest, one egg that had evidently rolled down from the side-hill nest, and one egg that was some distance uphill that had been smashed and eaten.  We were advised that we should put the remaining two eggs under a warming light to see if they might hatch, but now three days later, nothing has happened.  If this is the same mating pair as last year they had a nearby nest of three eggs that never hatched and they eventually abandoned the nest, so I guess we should be happy to have the one gosling.

 

Wildlife Stories?  Let us know your wildlife stories so we can pass them on.

 

Jim Aho

Miscellaneous Items - 5/18/09

Monday Illahee Community Meeting.  The Monday (5-18-09)meeting @ 6:30 pm at the Unitarian Fellowship Church on Perry Ave is a quarterly ICC meeting, but theprimary issue to be discussed is whether the Illahee Community can come up with a counter proposal to the Timbers Edge plan.  There is evidently a draft of a proposal that will be passed out at the meeting.  If you have any questions we will be glad to pass on what we know.

 

Tuesday Illahee Forest Preserve Meeting.  This meeting will be held on Tuesday (5-19-09) at the Eagles Nest at the Fairgrounds beginning at 6:30 pm.  The primary issue on the agenda is a sheriff''s representative to talk about various issues within the Illahee Preserve, the major one being homeless camps.  This should be a great interest to Illahee residents because of the potential for fire damage to the 460 acres of Preserve forest land in an otherwise urban setting. 

 

Concern Regarding Homeless Camps in Illahee State Park.  We received a copy of an email that was sent to Patty Lent, who was quoted in a Kitsap Sun article as suggesting that if Illahee State Park is mothballed that maybe the homeless could camp and help take care of the Park.  We think that the Park will not be mothballed, but found the email very insightful regarding possible issues with those using the facilities.

 

I realize that your suggestion regarding the use of Illahee State Park if it is closed to the general public because of budget constraints was based on your compassion for the individuals that are homeless. My wife and I have lived adjacent to the park for 23 years. I have been a park volunteer in the past. We know exactly the events that occur in the campground on a daily basis under "normal conditions". The campground host is not there to be a friendly guide for campers, they are there to control the behavior within the campground. Sometimes they do and sometimes they are not able to maintain control. I truly believe that you don't understand the impact of your homeless shelter proposal.

It is true that I do have somewhat of an "not in my backyard" attitude but we understand the unpublished events that happen on numerous occasions within the campground and the remainder of the park. Today neighborhood families will not let their children walk through the campground and park without supervision because of what has happened in the park. I know of adults that won't walk into the park without a weapon on their person. The park manager and assistant park manager carry weapons for their own protection. These conditions exist in a facility open to the general public. Do you have any concept of what conditions would be like if the front gate were locked and as you suggested the facilities become a homeless refuge?

I do hope we can continue this dialogue.

 

Let us know your thoughts and we will pass them on.

 

Jim Aho, Phone 479-1049

Miscellaneous Items - 5/15/09

Important Meeting on Monday.

 

ICC Meeting Monday (5-18-09).  A very important Illahee Community Club meeting will be held Monday evening at 6:30 pm at the Unitarian Fellowship Church at 4418 Perry Avenue.  The meeting is the quarterly ICC meeting, with the primary item on the agenda being to come up with a community "counter proposal" to the Timbers Edge project.

 

Counter Proposal.  The reason for coming up with a "counter proposal" is to see if the community and the developer can come up with an agreement both parties can live with.  The developer and his engineer have decided what kind of development they would like build, but the community has some major concerns with what they are planning, so now it is time for the community to come up with a counter proposal of what kind of development they would like to see.

 

Primary Meeting Goal - A Counter Proposal Acceptable to the Community.  We have talked with many and all have agreed that the developer should be able to develop the property, but not with the adverse impacts on the community, the creek, and the aquifers.  During prior discussions with community members alternatives have been presented and seem to have a common theme.  It is that common expressed theme that we think will be expressed on Monday and will result in a proposal that is acceptable to the community.

 

Illahee Residents Need to Attend.  This single project has the potential to impact the Illahee Community more than any single project in recent decades.  We would encourage as many people as possible to attend.

 

Help With Fundraising?  Linda Hinde, an ICC board member, is wondering if there are any volunteers who would like to work with her on looking at fundraising possibilities?  Let us know if you would like to help and we will pass the information on to Linda.

 

Another Important Meeting on Tuesday.

 

Illahee Forest Preserve Meeting on Tuesday (5-19-09).  Another important meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 19, 2009.  The Illahee Forest Preserve meets at the Eagles Nest at the Fairgrounds from 6:30 to 8:00 pm.  The primary item on the agenda for this meeting will be a meeting with a Sheriff's representative to talk about what to do with the homeless who are setting up camps in the Illahee Preserve.

 

Homeless Camp Report Today.  We received the following report of more homeless in the Preserve:

 

I just received a report of 3 (or possibly more) new homeless camps within Illahee Forest Preserve.  Location is reportedly near Highway #303, just south of the Park-N-Ride.  The report suggested the property adjacent Safeway has gotten so full of homeless camps that some of the homeless are now moving their camps directly across Highway #303 into Illahee Forest for more space.  Apparently there is a faint trail access along the fencing immediately north of the vacant car sales lot.  This is not believed to be the primary point of access because the trail is not well defined.  I hope to check this situation out myself early Saturday morning.

 

Illahee State Park Update.  We received the following information from our State Representative Christine Rolfes regarding what was happening with the State Parks.

 

State Parks and Recreation Commission
schedules special meeting in Olympia
OLYMPIA – May 11, 2009 – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will have a special meeting May 19, to adopt an implementation plan for the 2009-11 budget, contingent upon the Governor’s signing.
The special meeting will be at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 19, in Room N 108 of the Tumwater Office of the Washington State Attorney General, 7141 Cleanwater Drive S.W., Olympia. The agenda is available online at www.parks.wa.gov. Time for public comment will be made available for items on the agenda.
Parks will remain open during the 2009-11 biennium as the result of action taken by the Legislature to establish a new revenue source for State Parks. When vehicle owners register a new vehicle or receive their annual license tab renewal notice from the Washington State Department of Licensing, their total bill amount will include a $5 donation to keep parks open, unless they specifically choose not to include the donation. Budget language adopted by the Legislature says that parks will remain open in 2009-11 unless sufficient revenues are not collected from the program.
In its Operating budget, State Parks will take a reduction of $52 million in General Fund tax dollars in 2009-11, out of $100 million General Fund in the current budget. The Legislature intends that most of this funding will be replaced by the new donation program and a temporary shift of fuel taxes associated with off-road vehicle and marine recreation uses. In addition to replacement funds, expenditure reductions are necessary which are outlined in the implementation plan. These reductions include holding staff vacancies and reducing functions at headquarters to reduce $3.8 million; consolidation of region offices from four to three to save $1 million; reduction of non-core programs at $1.3 million; and reduction of equipment expenditures by $2 million.
The plan also will include a fee increase of $2 for camping effective July 1, 2009. The camping fee increases were authorized by the Commission in August 2008 but were administratively delayed until the budget process was completed. The fee increase will apply to new reservations made after July 1. The increase will bring the range of camping charges to $19 to $24 for standard (tent) sites and $25 to $33 for utility sites.
The agency’s Capital Program budget for new projects is $25.5 million in state bond money, reduced by 60 percent from the current budget. The agency must cut indirect and management costs by approximately $3 million. The plan also reduces reliance on outside consultants and reorganizes Capital Program staff in the three remaining regions. 
The Commission has been encouraged by the Legislature to continue pursuing transfers of 13 parks that were deemed potential transfer candidates earlier in the state budget process. Any of these that are not transferred to be operated by other local governments will remain open under State Parks management in the 2009-11 biennium, unless collections of new donation and other revenues prove insufficient.
The Commission also will consider a proclamation of appreciation to the public, the Legislature and the Governor for demonstrated support of State Parks during the past several months while the state budget was being prepared.
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission manages a diverse system of more than 121 parks and several recreation programs, including long-distance trails, boating safety, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. The 96-year-old park system will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2013.

 

Canada Goose Report.  The Canada goose goslings are emerging.  We have had one family with 4 goslings that are getting quite big, and another family with 5 small goslings.  The goose that we are monitoring is still sitting on her nest.

 

Jim Aho

Miscellaneous Items - 5/11/09

Illahee Creek Culvert.  Last summer the Illahee Creek culvert under Illahee Road was cleaned of sediment such that a bobcat loader could be driven in the culvert.  It quickly filled up from our normal rains and after the last rain we took the picture at the end of this email to check the impact of the last storm.  The culvert performed better than expected though the gravel bank inside the culvert is growing.  The county is proposing an annual cleaning of the culvert to prevent it from filling up and possibly washing out the road.

Last Week's Rain.  We received the following report (on May 6th) on how much rain was received in Illahee last week.

I was amazed at the 2.49 inches in 24 hour period ending Tuesday evening.  This is the most 24 hour rainfall since the December 3rd 2007 storm.  With today's rain we may well be over 3 inches for the 2 day period.